Vegetarian Zucchini Spaghetti Tacos

Taco night just got a whooooooole lot better.

Let me preface today’s recipe by saying that spiralizing isn’t just about subbing in veggie noodles into your favorite pasta and noodle dishes. Spiralizing is about changing the way you eat vegetables and making that experience more exciting.

Would you ever think to put spaghetti into your tacos? Unless you watch iCarly, you probably don’t.

Well, you probably wouldn’t put spaghetti into your tacos because that’s, well, a lot of unnecessary carbs – hard tacos and spaghetti are two foods that are good enough on their own.

I found out about iCarly’s spaghetti tacos (called iHungry tacos) when I was up late at night, surfing YouTube (I probably started off with a simple search for “how to sew a button” and ended up wasting hours, watching shark attack videos and of course, learning about spaghetti tacos.)

Anyway, I thought the idea was cute AND I’m a big Disney Channel and Nickelodeon nerd (if they would just bring back Rocko’s Modern Life!!) Of course, I knew I’d sub in zucchini noodles for the spaghetti noodles here. Then, I added in some corn, beans, olives and of course, a healthy dollop of avocado.

These are unbelievably delicious. They’re a bit messy (like all hard tacos are) but they’re well worth it. The key? Trim your noodles!!! Make sure the noodles aren’t longer than 3″ each, so it’ll be easier for you to eat (and your kids.)

The taco sauce is made with canned tomato sauce and a mixture of some key spices – it comes together quickly and smells like a taco night!

Now, if you’re anti hard-taco shell, you can make the second version of this recipe, which is for a taco “bowl” which is basically just all of the filling of a taco, just over a bowl of lettuce. Actually, when Lu and I have “taco night,” I usually make myself the salad version and I get him corn tortillas.

You won’t believe how tasty the tomato-taco sauce is, combined with the zucchini noodles and all the fixings. Again, it’s just a fun, new and healthy way to enjoy two of the world’s best foods (tacos and spaghetti). Plus, you’re getting in your veggies.

Have you ever tried spaghetti tacos? What are your favorite taco ingredients?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

If using hard taco shells (one serving = 2 tacos):

If not using hard taco shells (makes 3 taco “bowls”):

Serves 2

Vegetarian Zucchini Spaghetti Tacos

15 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

1 ear of corn

½ cup canned tomato sauce

1 avocado, peeled and cored

1 tablespoon finely minced cilantro

salt and pepper, to taste

2 medium zucchinis, Blade C, noodles trimmed

½ cup black beans

1 cup shredded lettuce (romaine or spinach works best)

Optional, if not using hard taco shells: 3 cups of shredded lettuce

6 yellow or blue corn taco shells*

For the taco seasoning:

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Place the corn in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and once boiling, let cook for 2 minutes or until corn is easily pierced with a fork. Once done, drain into a colander and shave off corn with a knife. Set shaved kernels aside.

While the water is heating up, combine all of the taco seasoning spices together and whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Once the corn is done, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet heats, add in the tomato sauce and pour in taco seasoning mix. Stir to combine and lower the heat, simmering for 5 minutes for the flavors to develop.

While tomato sauce is simmering, smash the avocado in a bowl, add in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.

Add in the zucchini noodles, corn and beans and cook for 2-3 minutes or until noodles are cooked through.

If using hard taco shells: Using pasta tongs, fill the taco shells with zucchini spaghetti mixture and top with olives, a dollop of avocado and a pinch of lettuce.

If not using hard taco shells: Fill a bowl up with shredded lettuce and top with zucchini noodles (using pasta tongs to let excess moisture drip off), then top with olives and a dollop of avocado. Repeat 3 more times to make 3 taco bowls.

*Check the ingredients on the taco shells – they should contain nothing more than water, corn (or masa) flour and/or oil.

Hmph. If I was willing to eat Corn Tortillas (with a 99% chance of the corn being GMO) Why on earth would I fill them with a spaghetti substitute? Why would I be using courgettes as pasta in the first place if I had not give up grains?

The best use for the spiraliser is for people on low-carb or paleo diets. If you can eat grains, durum wheat pasta at leasts tastes of something other than the sauce. The best thing you can say about courgette pasta is that is does not add any flavour of its own, and traps the sauce nicely.

Sorry you feel that way! First off, there’s no reason to buy GMO products – they’re easily labeled non-GMO and it’s important for us all to find those types of products to cook with and not support GMO products.

The best use for the spiralizer isn’t just as a carb substitute – it’s MUCH more than that, which is why I’ve chosen to start a blog on spiralizing! Simply change the shape of the vegetable alters it’s taste and it’s texture, making it fun to eat in multiple ways – including as a taco stuffing! Spiralizing revolutionizes the way we see and eat vegetables.

Plus, I wanted to make a healthier version of this fun, kid-friendly meal (spaghetti tacos), which I’ve hopefully done for many with children.

Lastly, if you don’t like the corn tortillas, I provided a recipe for a taco bowl, without the tortillas! I prefer that one – it’s less messy, but I know people love corn taco shells, so I wanted to appeal to everyone with this recipe.

Very nice answer to a rude/ignorant comment! Thanks to ‘Inspiralized’ my husband and I are enjoying more vegetables than ever before. Keep up the good work.
p.s. I really like your new haircut – enjoy hearing about your wedding plans!

Yeah, I just wanted to say, too, that my family has no food allergies/sensitivities, we all eat meat, etc., but I got a spiralizer so that we get more vegetables into our diet, hopefully in fun and interesting (and tasty) ways. So thanks for all that you’ve done here, and never mind the haters.

“Why would I be using courgettes as pasta in the first place if I had not give up grains?…The best use for the spiraliser is for people on low-carb or paleo diets.”

I have not given up grains nor am I on a low-carb/paleo diet, yet I love my spiralizer and use it several times a week. For my family, it is a creative way to add more vegetables to our diet and for me personally, a great way to cut back on a few calories.

Ali, I truly appreciate the wide range of ‘inspiralized’ recipes you provide on this site and that you do not adhere to just one diet plan. As for this particular recipe, as a mother of a teenager who was once a fan of iCarly, I recognized the tacos immediately and had a good chuckle at your ‘inspiralized’ transformation.:)

I just have to say that we tried these last night, and they were AMAZING! I was hesitant (I couldn’t wrap my head around “spaghetti tacos”), but my step-son was visiting. He’s vegan & gluten=free, and he’s always been adventurous when trying new foods. So, this seemed right up his alley. I’m happy to say that I’ll make them again even when he isn’t here! They were that good! The only “complaint” I heard was that they wish I had made MORE! LOL Thanks so much, Ali!

I just changed my menu plans for tonight. Not joking! Last week, I finally opened up the “spiralizer” that I picked up at the store. I was rather skeptical about using it, but man, oh, man. It is hard to explain how the simple addition of zucchini spaghetti is able to transform many dishes into something even yummier. Amazing.

Thanks for the inspiration on ways to add more vegetables into our meals. (And, kudos to you for your gracious response to Mr./Mrs. Rude!!)